Climbing up the Ladder
by 0FalconWings0
Summary: Living homeless on the streets of New York isn't as easy as it sounds. I would know. I've been living like that for as long as I can remember with my family of 6 (7 if you counted Total, our dog). However, strange dreams, odd feelings, new developments, evil scientists, overall randomness, and feathers can just about drive any 15 year old girl to the point of insanity. FAX-WINGS
1. Chapter 1

"Max?" Angel asked tiredly. I didn't say anything, but just kept searching, leading my underage family to safety.

"Yeah Angel?"

"When are we going to find a home? A real home?" she asked sweetly, looking up at me with her baby blue eyes. My chest tightened.

Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, Total, and I were 6 (well seven if you counted Total, but he's a dog) homeless orphans living on the streets of New York City.

We didn't have a home, but we had shelter and safety. About a year ago I had found the small and abandoned tunnel under Central Park. And for an entire year, that tunnel had kept us safe and hidden from the authorities and the brutal beatings of the winter weather.

Well, until some park people came down to put the tunnel back into use. In a rush I had ushered everyone out, leaving behind all of our most useful possessions. It had taken Fang forever to find those heat-giving matches, and had taken ages for Nudge to scrap out a pan that we used daily to try and provide ourselves with some food. All we had left was the old sneakers on our feet and the torn, oversized coats that barely blocked the huge gusts of cold wind out.

Fang, Iggy, and I were all at least 15. Nudge was 12, Gazzy 11, and Angel was now 7. We had all been on our own, each of us wandering the streets unsafe. Bit by bit, we had slowly grouped together. First I found Fang, and then the only blood siblings in our group. My chest tightened again at the memory of seeing two innocent babies abandoned in a cardboard box. Slowly, we became this big group of 6, safe and together.

And now we didn't have anywhere to go. I felt like a cornered mouse, with a cat swiping its paw in front of me. Six homeless, raggedy-looking, starved children was certain to catch the public eye. We had to find someplace safe. And fast.

"I dunno Angel, I dunno."

~~

"Hey, Fang. Can you watch them? I'm gonna go see if I can scope out any potential shelters," I said quietly. Fang nodded and sat down, keeping an eye on the others who continued to gaze at the ducks from under a bridge. Less people meant less attention, and for now it was worth the risk to wonder off alone.

Minutes had turned into hours, and I still didn't find any place suitable. Just then, something caught my eye.

A large apartment on the first floor. I remember watching the happy looking people go in and out during the summer time. Now it was empty, with no car parked out front. Even though it was considered a crime, I quietly hatched out a plan. Running, I went back to my family.

"Iggy. Iggy, come. I need you. Now. Quick!" I demanded, out of breath. Iggy's blind eyes turned towards my voice. I plucked a hairpin our of Nudge's hair. "We're gonna need this."

As soon as Iggy and I arrived at the apartment, I guided his hand towards the door nob. "Break through this," I told him.

"You want me to break into- What? No! Max, you said it yourself. No stealing," Iggy quickly refused, shaking his blonde head back and forth.

"Not stealing.. Just.. borrowing. Please Igs, come on! You know we need this. The owners are away for the winter, and its just till we find ourselves a place of our own. Please?" I begged. Anything for my family, anything.

As Iggy muttered something about 'getting fried by the cops', he went to work at picking the lock. After five minutes of anxious silence, the door popped open. I grinned. "Thank you so much Iggy! You get first pick on rooms."

~~

"Wow, Max, look at this place! Why can't we stay here forever?" Nudge asked excitedly, the first joy I've seen come across her face in a long time.

"Nudge, you know its only for a little. Just until we find someplace else," I smiled gently. All of a sudden, Gazzy started thundering up the stairs.

"THIS IS MY ROOM!" he yelled from somewhere upstairs. I rolled my eyes.

I took the time to take in my surroundings. It may be called an apartment in New York, but elsewhere it would be considered a mansion. With countless bedrooms and living spaces, this house felt like heaven.

I turned around towards a table filled with picture frames. 3 people starred in them, one of them being a girl around my age. She was really pretty, with her Hispanic tan, big brown eyes, and perfect looking hair.

What on earth was I doing here? These were nice, innocent people. And here we were, invading their homes. What did they ever do to deserve this? A memory of the mother and daughter hugging through the windows, looking so happy.

This was something that we'd never have. We'd never have the luxury of sleeping in a warm bed each night, or the luxury of full meals. Or the opportunities that education gave you.

Because once you are where we are, there's no chance of climbing back up the ladder, You've fallen too far down.

"Max?" I heard, the deep voice snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, Fang?" I asked, looking at him. Fang has been my right-hand man, my best friend. Right now I looked into his gorgeous, dark, mysterious-

No! Max! Snap out of it! Forget I ever thought that. Damn hormones..

"What's for dinner?" he asked, grinning. I nearly had a heart attack, his smile so bright… Damn it! There I go again!

Well, since we currently resided in this huge, warm, lit up house, we might as well live the rest of the dream. "Uh, let me check what they've got in the kitchen."

I entered the mansion of a kitchen, and started pulling open cupboards. Aha! I grabbed the box of uncooked pasta, and took out a pot.

"IGS! Come cook dinner!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, hoping he'd hear through the spacious walls. Feeling warm, I shrugged off my ratty winter coat. I nearly gagged at its sight.

"Pasta?" Iggy asked, shaking the box up and down.

"Yup."

Let me clarify something right now. Iggy was blind. He's been blind since we found him years ago. The strangest thing? He doesn't remember how he got that way.

As a matter of fact, I don't remember anything before age ten. None of us did. We didn't know who we were, why we were abandoned, or how we got here in the first place.

Anyways, even though Iggy is blind, he's a better cook than I would ever be with one hand tied behind his back.

~~

"Hmmm!" I sighed, gulping another forkful of pasta. I hadn't eat like this, ever. The warm pasta heated my body up from the inside. Even Fang looked like he was worshipping his own food.

"So.. Guys.. Tomorrow we start searching for someplace else. We can't stay here forever," I said, breaking the silence.

"Whyyyyy? Why do we have to go Max? I really love my room. Well, Ella's room. That's the name of the girl who lives here. She has, like, ten BILLION gorgeous dresses. You reckon it'd be too rude if I tried them on?" Nudge rambled off. I wished just as much as she did.

"Sorry kiddo, but someone actually owns this house. Not us." I explained. Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge's eyes all saddened. "Hey, where's Total?"

"He's upstairs, sleeping on my bed," Angel explained, stuffing down another mouthful of pasta. "We need to something for him to eat."

"I know Sweetie. Tomorrow Fang and I will go out and see what we can find, but we'll get dog food too," I explained, getting up and heading upstairs to the last available bedroom.

~~

I was just falling asleep. This close to sleeping! But then some idiot came along, opening the door and letting light in.

"Go away," I grumbled, waving my arm as if to shoo them away.

"Stay very still Maxie.. this will be very quick," a deep voice grumbled. No, not the nice Fang-kinda deep (darn it! This is going to have to stop), but a creepy, old man kinda deep. I instantly tried to get up, but something restrained me. That was when I noticed the sickly sweet smell coming off the cloth that was shoved against my face. Why do these sorta things always happen to me?

"Be still."

And that's when I saw the plunger of the needle go down, emptying the mysterious orange chemical into my blood stream.  
And then it was dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to James Patterson! Plots and ideas are mine. **

* * *

I woke up groggily, not knowing where I was. A dull pain ached in my neck. As I got up, I looked around.

Oh yeah. I was in "my bedroom".

"Max? Are you awake? You've been sleeping for a long time. It's four o'clock in the afternoon," Fang told me, bringing me a cup of coffee. Hmm. I hadn't tasted the sweet brown liquid in ages. Right now I felt like I never wanted to leave this house.

"Four o'clock! Damn it Fang, we were supposed to find a place today! Why didn't you wake me up?" I demanded, throwing off the luxurious bed covers from my body and instantly regretting the fact that I had taken away my heat source.

"I tried, but you wouldn't wake up."

"I wouldn't wake up?" I questioned. That was odd. I was the lightest sleeper in the family. It had become a habit. Sleep light so that you can get up at any moment's danger. It was only natural for a young, homeless girl.

"Yeah. I thought you were dead," Fang chuckled, trying to crack a joke. This house was really having so,e big effects on my family. That's when I noticed it.

He was CLEAN.

As in, his hair looked soft and shiny. His skin no longer had that layer of dirt and grime that I thought had become permanent. Hell, even his teeth looked sharp white! He no longer looked like a beaten, dirty little child. Now he looked like a young, handsome (tell anyone I ever said that and I'll rip your teeth out!), clean boy.

"Fang?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Did you take a shower?" I slowly continued, almost as if I wasn't registering the fact.

"Well, I'm going to take advantage of what I have." I knew what he meant. As homeless kids, we hadn't taken a real, warm shower in years. This was like a once in a lifetime opportunity. "You should take a shower too Max, it's really refreshing," Fang shrugged.

I scrambled off the bed and into the nearest bathroom. A shower. A real shower. I was giddy with happiness, and I felt like giggling. I ripped my clothes off and started the water. Why were the utilities on if no one was home? The thought quickly disappeared as I just about lunged into the warm stream of running water. I literally moaned at its touch.

Lathering in the body wash, I watched as my skin became clean and the dirt swirled down the drain. I scrubbed vigorously everywhere. Between my toes, behind my ears. I was anxious to be clean for once.

I poured a pile of shampoo into my hands before splattering it into my bird-nest of a head. My hair hasn't been properly cared for in years, so it was in knots and looked ratty. I carefully worked the shampoo into my hair, trying to undo its knots. I watched as bits and pieces of dirt fell down the drain again.

The conditioner was what really made a difference. My hair felt like silk, so smooth and soft. This is what Ella must use to get her hair to look so nice.

Reluctantly turning off the water, I wrapped myself in a towel and relished in the feeling of being clean. I decided I loved it.

I put on some of Ella's clothes, and started combing my hair. That's when I noticed the bluish mark on my neck, surrounding a small.. Injection site?

I remembered the events of last night. The mysterious man. The orange liquid. Dropping everything I had I ran.  
"FANG! Come here, quick!" I yelled, panic clearly evident in my voice. Fang and Gazzy came running.

"Max? What's wrong?" Gazzy asked, looking scared.

I pointed to my neck. "Someone was in here last night."

Fang's and Gazzy's eyes widened at the faint blue spot. I guess no one saw it earlier because my hair covered it.

"What happened?" Fang asked.

"I was falling asleep, and I remember seeing this dark figure. They had this weird, deep voice. And then he injected me with some orange liquid."

"He injected you?" Fang and Gazzy asked at the same time.

"Oh crap, this is bad. Really bad. We have to leave this place, now," I quickly decided.

The three of us just sat there, thinking, for a couple minutes.

"Wait, hold on Max. Maybe there is something to this. Let's wait a couple more days, see what happens. No guy randomly breaks into a fancy house and injects some homeless kid," Fang finally explained, eyebrows furrowed. One, that was the most I have ever heard him say in one sentence. Two, he looked- Not again!

"But what if they try to get someone else? What if they try to get Nudge or me or Angel?" Gazzy asked, looking frightened. All three of us were tense.

"He's right, Fang, it isn't safe to put the others lives at risk for the sake of our curiosity," I sighed.

"We can be prepared. Stick together. Just for a little bit," Fang pleaded. What on earth was up with him? He never acted like this.

This was a tough decision, but I really wanted to find out more about this guy. And more about what was traveling through my veins at this exact moment.

"Fine, but only a few more days. And everyone sticks together. One of us always has to be with them," I sighed. Gazzy got up and left the room, obviously not happy with my decision.

"Max, don't worry. We'll be alright," Fang said quietly, standing up to softly kiss my forehead before exiting the room.

I touched a hand to my forehead. What the hell was that?

~**Third Point of View**~

The man got up from his lab chair, walking over to the man whom was his son.

"Ari. How did the mission go?" the man asked, pushing up his thick round glasses.

"Perfectly carried out, Dad."

"Excellent, the genetic activation should start within subject one soon. Then it shall spread, like a virus, and activate all other 6 subjects," the man grinned. His plan was perfect. Flawless.

"One thing. The subjects have broken into the Martinez house, and are currently utilizing its resources," Ari explained, trying to keep in his nervousness. He knew that his Dad wouldn't be happy with this recent development. In a way, it felt like failure.

"What?" the man asked rushing over to a set of computers and starting them up.

"I said the subjects have broken into th-" Ari started, but didn't finish.

"I heard what you said!" the man snapped. Ari slightly flinched. Even though he was well over 6 feet tall, he was only 7 years old. His dad treated him as such. "This throws a wrench in my entire plan! Of all houses, the Martinez residence?"

Ari stood still quietly. He didn't say anything as his father pulled up several camera feeds from inside the Martinez house. How he got to have them installed, Ari didn't know.

"Looks like the subjects are in there alright. There's only one thing that we can do. Contact Valencia Martinez. I assume she will want to get on board with the procedure anyways," the man quickly decided. "In the meantime, Ari, keep an eye on the subjects. They are at one of their most vulnerable points right now. We need to let the virus safely spread through them."

Ari just nodded, before leaving the room. He didn't understand why. Why was his dad so obsessed with these seven subjects? He'd been working on them for years, and finally his plan was being put to work. Ari thought now that his dad's biggest ambitions were being fulfilled, he would focus a little more on him. But he was wrong. He felt nothing more than a servant to the man who was half responsible for his being.

It was a sad thought. Ari felt tears run down his genetically enhanced cheeks, and for the first time in ages, he cried.


End file.
